President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection drew reactions across a broad spectrum from both sides of the aisle, while some felt emotional about it on live television.

CNN analyst Van Jones, who has shed tears on the air before including when Biden was elected in 2020, appeared on the network Sunday to share his thoughts on Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

“It’s kinda like, when your grandpa, you’ve gotta take the keys,” Jones said. “You’ve gotta take his keys, you’ve gotta take his keys. And he’s fighting…and everybody’s so frustrated. And you finally get the keys back. And then you just cry, because this is somebody that you love, this is somebody that you care about, this is somebody who was there for you. You wouldn’t be here with out him, and you had to take something from him.”

Jones, fighting back tears, called Biden’s move “a human moment for one of the great humans in America.”

“This is a huge moment for him, for his family, for all of us who love him, for all of us who wanted him to get across this finish line,” he said. “If you’re a young person watching this, this is leadership. This is patriotism. This is what it means to put the country first and put the party first and put the cause first. When your arm gets tired, you let somebody else finish pitching the game. That’s what Joe Biden has done, and he’s done that for all of us.”

Jones is a longtime political analyst and CNN host. He’s an Emmy-winnner and bestselling author who previously served as special advisor to former President Barack Obama, working directly with then-Vice President Biden.

He said he doesn’t know who will replace him as the nominee but expressed support and admiration for the president.

“I just know that I love this man, I care about this man,” Jones said. “It was painful every day to sit up here and talk about him like he’s some problem for the party. Wait until we get to the convention. You’re going to see people crying, standing, screaming, cheering. He may not get a chance to talk for 10 minutes when we finally get a chance to put our arm around this guy.

“He did the right thing for this country. He did the right thing for this party. All of us are going to be in this situation some day, and I hope we take a moment to honor this man and to love this man. I love Joe Biden. I appreciate what he’s done. And a lot of people are heartbroken today. Even if it’s the right thing, it’s still just horrible.”

Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.

The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former president’s many falsehoods.

Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon ET on Jan. 20, 2025.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to his X account.

Watch the Jones comments in the video above.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.